In The Event
by Trapped In Stories
Summary: No one can see her. She is just like a ghost, flitting in and out of places, leaving no trace of ever being there. And right now that's just how she likes it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately don't own.**

**Chapter One: The Will **

Toph Beifong was once in a position that made other girls just **wish** that they could be her, even just for one day. Well they would if anyone besides her parents even knew that she existed. That was her first problem. The other was that that she was blind and that pretty much sucked. Her third and final problem was how her parents viewed her. They thought her a delicate flower, meant to be kept safe for fear she might be broken. He name even meant a type of flower though she didn't really mind cause it sounds like 'tough'.

Toph stifled a yawn. She was training with her 'master' who was trying to 'teach' her to lift, as he said rocks, or as she said five pebbles. Just because she was blind didn't mean that she was stupid, after all. As for Master Yu…. well she was pretty sure that her parents picked him off the streets. If that man was a master then she was the Avatar.

Thankfully a female servant came in with news that her father wanted to see her. After sitting for so long staring at the pebbles pretending that it was oh so hard to lift them when really all she wanted to do was show them what she could really do, but she couldn't. She had too much at stake to blow it now.

"I am sorry for interrupting but Master Lao Beifong wishes to see his daughter. He says it is most urgent." she said in her soft voice, while bowing, signs of respect.

"No worries Miss…?" he asked twisting his mustache with his finger.

"Xia" she said blushing, red spending over her cheeks.

Toph decided at that moment to stand up and leave before it got to awkward but before she could take a single step Xia rushed up to her and held out her arm.

"Please let me help you, Miss Beifong"

Toph sighed inwardly. Just once she would like to show them what she could do. Just once. She wanted to show them that the girl with the unseeing murky grey eyes isn't something to be protected but rather is a force to be reckoned with. Tonight she would show them, but until then she had to keep up the act. So she took her arm and let her herself be led to the study.

* * *

The servant had taken her to her father's study door and left soon afterwards, judging by the direction, back to Master Yu. She did the right thing and knocked on her father's door instead of barging in.

"Come in!" she heard and with that she opened the door and silently walked in.

"Tofu?" he almost asked looking shocked "Did you come here alone?"

"No father. A servant escorted me here." she said suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

Could her father have discovered where she was going tonight? She was so sure no one knew, she didn't even tell anyone…

"Tofu, why are you looking so worried? You're not in any trouble." Lao Beifong said looking bemused.

Toph let out a sigh of relief.

"In fact quite the opposite really…" and Toph then heard the scratching of a pen.

He suddenly stood up and led her to a chair.

"Cannot have you standing around" he said and he went back to his own chair.

"Toph, you know I won't live forever?"

Toph slowly nodded as she sat down, not knowing where this was going.

"Well, in the event of my death, which hopefully will not be for quite some time, I want to make sure that my little Tofu will be alright. Now I could die at any moment, from sickness to a rampaging platypus-bear, and **if **I do all my money will be left to you."

Tophs mouth dropped open.

"But, but father, what about mother?"

"Well if I die your mother as much as I love her would probably get remarried and most likely have more children. The money, as it is then your mothers, would then be split between you. I rather my own child get everything that I worked hard for."

Toph nodded even more slowly, her face a picture of shock.

Her father noticed her expression and suddenly realised that talking of her own father dying to an eight year old was not such a good idea, no matter how important it was to inform her of her status as the Beifong fortune heir.

"Don't worry Tofu. I won't be dying anytime soon. Just precautions. Your mother will be taken care of, **if **I happen to die before you turn eighteen, which is highly unlikely as I am in prefect health, she will be free to spend the money as she pleases. You will be able to inherit the money the moment you get to the age of eighteen."

Toph just stared at him. He looked back at her for a while and then suddenly picked up a sliver bell and rang it, its chime ringing through the room.

"Someone will be coming to take you to your room."

Toph started walking towards the door, still shell shocked.

* * *

While everyone else was sleeping Toph was getting ready for the Earth Rumble Six. She had finally managed after visiting many times to watch the matches, and learning very quickly **not** to sit in front, to be in a match. Who knew that a bag of gold could go so far? Luckily Xin Fu had not questioned just _where_ a blind girl got so much money. She put on here old training uniform, as she had no other that made her not look like a weak little girl. One of the nice things about no one knowing her was that no one could ever tell her parents that their 'fragile' little daughter was going to make grown men cry. She smirked as she put on the final touch to her uniform, a headband. Now all she had to do was avoid the guards and the meerkat-dogs. A piece of cake from what the badger-moles had taught her about earth-bending and feeling the vibrations for moving things.

Sometimes when Toph looks back at this moment, her choice, she's glad she left and sometimes she wished she had never even heard of the Earth Rumble Si and stayed at home like a good little girl. But if she stayed, there's no doubt in her mind that she would be dead.

**Let me know what you think. - Trapped In Stories**

**First story ever published, I know its short but its more like a prologue than anything else.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Did you read the last chapter? I do NOT own.**

**First of all thanks to Digi-fan Capp, my first reviewer, and Tokka who invent BeastlyRavens, my first follower of this story. You guys are awesome!**

**Chapter 2: Lies**

That was one of hardest things his ever done in his life. Lao Beifong sighed as he watched the door close, heard her footsteps echoing down the passage-way. How he wished that he could have told her everything. He smiled slightly at the memory of how nervous she was. As if her father wouldn't notice the fact that she wasn't in her bed at night. When he first found out, it was when he awoke to sound of what he thought was an earthquake. As he rushed outside, knowing that the earthquake was no more than a earthbender, he saw her. His little Tofu. At the age of seven a better earthbender than her master. He stood, shocked for a moment, then he remembered himself and walked back to his room.

"What is it?" his wife had mumbled as he climbed back into bed.

"Nothing, just one of the guards who had too much catus-juice ."he had lied through his teeth.

She had smiled at that, satisfied at his answer and fell back asleep.

He had not slept that night.

So much had changed since that night. He had come to expect that his daughter, blind and looking so helpless, was a better earthbender than the man she hired to teach her. But definitely not a quieter one. He knew of her nightly visits to the underground arena to watch the fights and of her wish to join them.

He sighed. Well, tonight her dream would come true. A bitter-sweet thing, it would be, when she got home.

He stood up and walked over to the locked wooden cabinet. Out of his left pocket he got out the key and turned it in the lock of the third draw. It did not turn easily, as he had not open it since Toph was born. He never had a reason to do so. Until now.

In it was a small single wooden block. On closer inspection it turned out to be a Pai-Sho piece. A white lotus to be exact.

"This better be worth it." he said under his breath.

He **hated **lying to Toph. But didn't he do that every day?

* * *

He dreaded this moment.

"Poppy" he said as he walked into the room. "She left."

He looked at his wife, with her tear-stained face, frantically packing anything she could find into a small brown packing bag, her usually held up hair now in disarray.

She looked up at him. "Oh Lao, why can't we take her with us?" she pleaded "She is only eight. She won't survive without us."

He felt like she did to, he wanted to rush up to that arena and pull her out of that building. He didn't care that he had paid Xin Fu to make sure that tonight was the night Toph had her first match. He wanted to think of her as his little girl, blind and helpless, but he had learned long ago that one of those was not true.

He sat down on the bed next to her, looking at her hopeful face, an expression he would soon have to crush.

"We can't" he said every word nails scratching though his soul, as he watched her face fall.

"Why not?" Poppy asked, her face a picture of confusion which soon changed into anger. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Oh, how he wished he did. And now, just because of one mistake, it was coming back to haunt him.

"Poppy" he tried and sighed as she turned around with her arms crossed.

"Poppy" he tried again but was still met with the same frosty reception. "Look, Poppy, I did it for her!"

That made her turn back to him, her mouth an o of surprise.

"How is leaving our eight year old daughter ALONE doing it for her I ask?!"

"How is bringing her with us, with the Fire Nation looking for us, protecting her?" his voice accusing but soon turning gentle as he pulled her into a hug "Don't worry Poppy, I'm sure she will be ok, I know it's hard for you but it's hard for me to." He put her at arm's length, feeling the sore ache that every tear that went down her face was his fault.

"She will be ok" he repeated.

She turned back to packing, but not before he caught sight of new tears going down his face.

She will be ok, he told himself. If he knew his Tofu, she would win the Earth Rumble and get the bag of gold. She would be ok. He snuck a look at Poppy. She wasn't convinced.

"Toph will be ok" he told himself

Neither was he.

* * *

Toph was in a dream world, blissfully unaware of what was yet to come. It was her first match and she couldn't wait. She would go against The Gecko, a masked earthbender whose, as she could 'see', his tactics were climbing up the walls just like a gecko-mouse and shooting earth from there. She tightened her headband. This was going to be fun.

As she expected she was at first met with claps when Xin Fu announced that a new competitor was going to fight -The Blind Bandit. It quickly turned to gasps of shock as she walked out in plain view that they would let a blind girl compete. Soon afterwards it turned to nudges and laughter.

"You better go easy on her Gecko!" one man yelled from the vaguely the back.

"Yah, we don't want her crying to mommy do we?" another chuckled.

Toph felt her blood boil. Oh yes she would definitely, accidentally, let a few stray rocks go near the back row. Not enough to hurt them, it would just knock a few IQ points off. And what she had learnt about the people who came here, they didn't really have much to spare.

"Oh yeah? Lets us see who is crying for mommy when this is over!" she yelled and she smirked her trademark smirk and snuck into her usual earthbending form.

The Gecko, as she expected, climbed walls just like his namesake to dodge and then strike when the time was right. There was just one problem with his tactic. She was better at earthbending than he would ever be.

The crowd stopped laughing when the Gecko went flying out of the ring. He would have a massive headache tomorrow morning.

After a few more wins, and a few 'stray' boulders, she was then awarded the champions belt, not much to the surprise of everyone as it would of been in the beginning.

As no one was man enough to fight against a 'helpless', Toph snickered at that, blind girl she would get the prize money. A full fifty gold coins. At least she got half her money back. Xin Fu didn't seem that worried though.

As she was walking out the ring he grabbed her arm.

"You coming back tomorrow?"

"Whadda'ya think?" she asked sarcastically "Free of charge?"

He smirked. "The way the customers were cheering after you destroyed nearly every opponent, I say that the mere ticket sales alone would pay very, very nicely" he said then winked, finally letting go of her arm.

Toph walked back home as if she was walking on clouds. She was the happiest she had ever been in her life. But you must remember there is a quote What goes up, must come down.

* * *

In Xin Fu's private office he was silently counting the money he got in the last few days.

"Six hundred from ticket sales, fifty from the blind girl and four hundred from that idiot Beifong man." he said out loud to himself. "Hmm, not too bad. Not too bad."

He smiled, showing his yellowish teeth. "One thousand five hundred and fifty gold coins." he said, fingering the money between his fingers. "It was all worth it."

* * *

Across the sea, ships were coming. Smoke rose into the air and where they went, ashes fell in their wake. Soon they would be here. And they **would **leave nothing but ashes when they left.

**Yes, as you can see I have a very vague idea of exactly where this story's going to go. I kind of make it up as I go. I know Loa and Poppy are kind of OOC (ok a lot) but for some reason I can never think of a parent being that blind (pun intended) to what their daughter does. Sorry for taking two weeks and only writing a one thousand plus words. Computer is hating me right now. Plus I'm pretty sure you missed something. Two words- Xin-Fu.**


	3. Chapter 3

That was a year ago. Toph remembered that day like it was yesterday. The happiness that faded when she realized that there was a smell, almost like when cook had burnt the cake but there was heat, so much hotter than what she had ever felt before. With her hearing she could hear the sounds the wood falling, being eaten by the flames, and people desperately trying to get the fire out, either in hopes of saving someone in there or for more selfish reasons such as trying to make sure that their own house was not engulfed by the flames. She had sunk to her knees then, not caring about the searing heat, and broke one of her own rules. Toph Beifong does not cry. She knew there was a chance, a small hope, that her parents had survived and had gotten out but the man standing next to her crushed that.

"Nothing could have survived that." he had said to the man he was next to, not realising that those words crushed Tophs heart.

"Only one thing could." the man he was talking to replied.

"What?"

"Have you not heard the rumours?"

"No…." he said though his tone indicated otherwise.

"The Beifongs were trading with the Fire Nation!" he said "It's almost common knowledge that he tried to get money from the other side."

"I thought that was just a rumour, nothing more. Just like the rumour that he has a child locked up in there."

"It's not a rumour. He is, was, trading with those barbarians." he said "With those savages sense of 'honour' it's not a surprise that they torched his house down."

Tophs eyes watered threating to burst. Not Father! He would never do that!

"Probably a case of a deal gone wrong," he continued ", they came here in the night and torched the place and then left."

Toph thought of going to them, using pity to get some place to stay, but as she felt all those countless people running in and out with pails of water, earthbenders snuffing out the fires by earthbending some of the flammable objects away from the fire, she felt her bag full of gold and she smiled a thin smile.

"I guess I won't inherit the Beifong fortune after all." she had said out loud and she then had turned and walked away.

She didn't turn back to try help. As that man said, no one could have survived that but the ones who started it. As she walked away from her burning remains of what used to be her house and life, she smiled that thin grim smile again, five words running though her head.

The Fire Lord must die.

You'd think that after a years' time things had gotten better. That Toph no longer felt the urge to pull out her hair in grief or destroy an entire continent in anger. Nothing could be more wrong. The grief, the feelings of regret that she didn't spend more time with them, that would fade over the years. The anger on the other hand only grew stronger with each passing day.

She woke up. She saw nothing. Big surprise. She lay on her bed for a while, thinking if it was better just to lie down for a bit longer. She decided against it and sat up, almost slowly enough to be a turtle-snail. Time for another boring day. It was almost time to move to another town, she had been here long enough, and people were starting to get suspicious of the blind girl who seemly had no parents. Soon they would no longer believe the 'my parents are sick story' and then she had to disappear just like a ghost. She got dressed and closed the hotel door behind her.

"Get better soon Mom!" she called out in a cheerful voice like she did every morning, "Love you!"

With that she walked down the passageway, using her 'vision' to check for any people and/or obstacles. She walked past the front desk, hoping that Aki would not see her, but luck was not on her side.

"Hello Huan!" Aki called from behind the counter, his black hair still almost completely covering his eyes. "Your mom still sick?"

"Yep" she said "Got to get more food for her."

"I hope she gets better." Aki said worriedly "She has been sick for almost a month. It might be something more serious than just flu."

Toph laughed it off, hoping she sounded carefree, without a worry in the world. "I checked it with a healer and all she needs is rest. And according to her, a long list of _very _sweet and fatty foods."

But Aki would never know how right he was. It was so much more serious than flu.

Aki laughed, accepting her story. "So that's why you always come back from the market with all those fruit pies. I thought you were just a greedy glutton."

"Well I might eat one or five of them by myself…."

Aki laughed again. "Well Huan, you better get done there quick, apparently a Fire Nation ship is going to dock here, and you know how much they hold up the line haggling like old wives."

Tophs fake smile dropped for a moment when she heard that but soon came back at full force. She never liked going to the colonies because she always had to resist the urge of getting revenge on every Fire Nation scum that was there. And she wouldn't get to the Fire Nation capitol if she was in a prison cell.

"Well Aki, I better get to the market quickly then, before those 'old wives' take all the good stuff." she said and she started walking to the door, "Bye Aki." she called.

"Bye Huan."

"For good" she added in her head.

"This is a fair price!"

"Five silver is too much! Three silver is my final offer."

Toph tried to listen in interest at the angry young boy who was currently yelling at the most trusted trader in the town. He sounded as if he was about to burst in anger, though judging by the sound of the man next to him trying to calm him down, he seemed to be like that all the time.

Toph walked up to Li's stall putting a single gold piece on the table, feeling that the young man's face morphed into one of shock.

"Just give the man what he wants Li." and as Li turned to get and went to look for what Prince Pouty wanted.

He recovered himself and became angry again.

"Why did you do that? You had no reason to!"

She turned to where the thirteen or so boy face would vaguely be and her face went into one of a sneer.

His companion, an older, 'bigger', man turned to him and said something to him, all of which she could catch only a few words.

"Now nephew… you must….please."

"But we should….. We are roya…."

So he was the nephew of that guy. Uncle sure had his work cut out for him.

Prince Pouty turned back and signed deeply through his nose.

"What I meant to say…. Is that I am very grateful for your generous act." he said looking very awkward, "Though I did not need it." earning a glare from Uncle.

Toph snorted.

"Really? I didn't do that for free. Your accent places you as a fire national, which means you have a ship. The fact that you were almost begging for a fair price to be lowered means that you are short of money, which I can help you with."

It was Pouty's turn to snort.

"And what can a little girl do to help her."

Li chose that moment to come back with a sack of Prince Poutys belongings.

Toph turned to him and placed another gold coin on the counter.

"Please tell Aki at the Jasmine Hotel that I no longer need to stay there."

Li smiled and nodded, happy at all the good fortune he was getting.

Toph turned back to the boy.

"It's what a rich _blind_ little girl can do for you."

She spat on her hand, offering it to him.

"Shake on it?"

Prince Pouty looked at her hand, still covered in spit, then looked at her bag of money in the other. He seemed to come to a decision and he shook her hand, grimacing as he did so.

"Deal"

That's where Tophs plans went wrong.

**Sorry to all my readers out there! It has been a bad few weeks, with my computer crashing, not being able to get another one….. I know you guys are mad, I also hate it when an author doesn't update when they are supposed to. I am sorry about that (Please don't kill me). By the way you will notice that in the last chapter that there is an extra five hundred bucks that has no explanation from where or who that it came from. Look back. Again I'm sorry. Thanks again to Digi for reviewing. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer- I don't own Toph, Zuko (much to my disappointment) or anything else in Avatar. Sorry about 'forgetting' last chapter. **

Chapter 4: Really?

Toph walked behind Prince Pouty and Uncle, keeping a hand on her bag all the time. Just as that nameless man said so many years ago, they were barbarians. And she wouldn't trust them no matter what they said or did. She wouldn't forget what their kind did.

"So what's your name? You better tell me else your name will remain Prince Pouty forever in my head."

She felt Prince Pouty stiffen at that, which she filed in her head for later, and Uncle lift a hand to his face, probably to cover a smile or something.

"My name is…" he said hesitantly "my name is...um… Li."

Toph snorted yet again and rolled her eyes.

"Even a **toddler** could tell that was a lie. Even if they hadn't known that you were just at a stall with the owner, whose name **just** happened to be Li."

"So Pouty, what's the name?"

He kept his face turned ahead, not looking back or changing his pace.

"You forget, I have to have one from you still."

She walked faster to go in front of him and turned to face him to do a mock bow, which was pretty hard to while still walking, it was even harder to do while walking backwards. Luckily she didn't crash and _burn_, which was what she would be doing if she let her guard down. She had something he needed, and she wants to keep it that way.

"Toph Beifong, at your service." she said and she turned and let herself fall back. She didn't want to be the victim of an ambush. Better to have time to react than be knocked unconscious.

"Um…."

"Yes?" he said irritably "Let me guess, you want to know my name?"

"Yup."

It's better to know someone's name if they turn against you and you have to kill them.

"Don't need to listen to a… used to be able to…. From a nine year old…" the boy muttered under his breath.

Uncle seemed to stop before just before entering the docks.

Toph didn't blame him. This one stank like rotten cow-pig.

"Zuko. It is time we left."

"Uncle "he said, sounding pretty annoyed. No wonder, his uncle just gave away his name which was the only thing he held over her. Or so she thought.

Toph smiled the grim smile she had adopted. Zuko. What a lovely name.

"Nephew please hurry, we have to go.." Uncle began before 'Zuko' interrupted him.

"Why do we have to…."

Then they showed up. Toph felt smirks on all their faces, anger and the wanting to punch and _hurt _something running through their veins. Fire Nation soldiers. At the back of her head she vaguely reminded herself that Aki did warn her about the Fire Nation ships and the 'haggling old wives' in them.

"Oh" he said and he nervously swallowed. He being Zuko. Uncle was calm, way to calm for a guy surrounded by bloodthirsty _barbarians, _who each had at _least _three or so weapons on them as far as she could feel. And that didn't count the ones that were visible and the fact that most of them, if not all, were firebenders.

It seemed after all the big-talk and the sarcasm that Prince Pouty finally realised that he was still a thirteen year old and about to get pounded.

"It seems the _traitor _decided to forget the rules and come into the Fire Nation." the biggest and strongest one said.

Zuko seemed to get really, really calm and looked the big guy who threading a _**knife**_ through his _**fingers**_ straight in the eye.

"Stupid. Really stupid." she thought and made a face that even the dumbest of animals knew meant trouble.

It turned out that Fire Nation soldiers were dumber than animals.

"I was not under the impression that this was the great and powerful Fire Nation, for it looks to be a dump," he said gesturing to the filth and vermin around him, "And if it is I would wonder why it is so far from the Fire Nations borders?"

Brave words from a dead man slash idiot boy.

"Three words mate," Great they were pirates too," Fire. Nation. Colony. "

It was almost certain that Zuko and Uncle were going to die or worse, unless a rampaging platypus-bear turned up and killed them. Them being the Fire Nation soldiers and not the possible wanted criminals who she just happened to choose to travel with. Right. Time to use the cute face of a nine year old that she had.

Her bottom lip jutted out and she went all teary eyed.

"Please sir. Please don't hurt them." and she added a fake sob at the end for effect.

The man all but ignored her and carried on making threats with ten men behind him nodding like puppets to whatever he said, with Prince Pouty all but signing his death over there and Uncle… Wait where did that tea come from? Never mind.

She added more sobs, which got louder and louder and harder to ignore.

One of the men turned to see what was wrong, and when he saw her 'sobbing' he walked over and kneeled down to her level.

"What's the matter?" he asked, sounding like he was _really _concerned.

"Please don't, don't kill him." and she burst into fake sobs. Fake, yet really convincing.

Another one of the guards turned, a women by the voice and the fact that the armour was slightly smaller. "Huo? What are you doing there?"

Huo. A Fire Nation soldier with a name that meant 'Fire'. Figures. Luckily the woman voice provided enough distraction for the men treating Zuko to a knife getting nearer and nearer to his face, with the rest following him like sheep and taking out **their** own weapons, and they turned for a second. A second was all that she needed.

Within seconds they were all under the ground, with only a hole that only a small animal would be able to get out of. She wasn't a murderer after all. She would wait a while until that title was thrust upon her. Besides, people were watching.

Uncle looked up from his tea. "I suggest that we should run now."

"Why? It's not like they will get out of that any time soon." Toph scoffed.

The universe really hated her, didn't it.

That had to be the moment that a fireball burst through the ground, not one of them caring if that room with the earth ceiling that she made might cave in and they started climbing out of the pit and helping those who couldn't get out.

Really?

"Run." Uncle said and this time, both she and Zuko listened.

**First thanks to Digi-fanCapp again…. And wow! More reviews! Thank you guys so much! AquaTomato thanks for the wonderful words, and for question, that would be spoilers if I said yes or no and in this story at the moment Toph is **_**nine **_**so there might be a chance if I aged her up more…. ;). But that's only if at that moment I feel like it… To be honest I didn't even know that Zuko was going to worm his way into the story…. Otakugirl 13 I wish I could tell you the answer but to be honest even **_**I **_**don't know. Did they get out or did they turn into ashes? Sigh. Guess you just have to wait and see. I'm sorry about some spelling mistakes (eg 'He' instead of 'Her') cause I don't have a beta reader and it's hard to pick up some spelling errors if your computer doesn't even do that. (In what world is 'Si' a replacement for six?!) Thanks to all of you reading this story!**


End file.
